Milk-bottle rack



R. V. TOWNSEND.

MILK BOTTLE HACK.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 7, 1919.

rammed Mar. 29, 1921.

.UNETED STATES) PATENT ROBERT V. TOWNSEND, F RIVERSIDE, RHODE ISLAND.

MILK-BOTTLE RACK.

Application filed. November 7, 1919.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ROBERT V. TOWNSEND, a citizen of the United States, residing at Riverside, in the county of Providence, State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Milk-Bottle Racks; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in racks and particularly to racks for supporting milk bottles.

One object of the present invention is to provide a novel and improved device of this character wherein the bottles of milk are supported in proper position and held against removal by an unauthorized person from without.

Another object is to provide a novel and improved means for locking the bottles against being removed and at the same time protect the contents of the bottles from contamination by dust, snow, rain, or other foreign materials.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a milk bottle rack made in accordance with my invention, partly broken away to show the manner of placing large and small bottles in the rack.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the device, the wall being shown in section.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the invention, the wall, to which the invention is attached, being shown in section, and the locking arm or lever shown in dotted lines to indicate its released position.

Referring particularly to the accompanying drawing, represents a box which is carried by a back plate 11, and supported by brackets 12, said plate being secured to the wall 13, outwardly thereof. In the plate 11 I are formed the three vertical slots 14, and in the wall, back of these slots are formed three openings 15. The box has a number of openings in its top wall, as shown at 10, each being arranged to receive the lower portion of a milk bottle 23, as shown, the surrounding walls of the openings being such that horizontal movement of the bottles Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Illlar. 22, 1921.

Serial No. 336,344.

is effectively prevented, it being only possible to move the bottles into and out of the box by a vertical motion of the bottles. Disposed through the openings l l and 15, and pivotally supported on the brackets 16, carried by the inner face of the plate 11, and which extend inwardly through said openings, are the arms 17 and 18, the former being pivoted at their inner ends, while the latter, or intermediate arm is pivotally mounted centrally and extends farther through the wall, and through the opening 15, into the room within the house. Secured to the wall of the room is a plate 19, and on this plate is formed a bracket carrying a pivoted hooked detent 21, which engages with the inner end of the arm 18, which is upwardly bent and laterally directed, as shown at 18. A. weighted arm extends inwardly from this inner end of the arm 18 so that when the detent is raised, the arms 17 and 18 will swing on their pivots, and their outer ends be raised. The detent is formed with a finger-piece 2% for this purpose.

Connecting the outer ends of the arms 17 and 18 is a bar 25, whereby the arms will move in unison, and at each point of connection between an arm and the bar there is secured a cap 22 which, when the outer ends of the arms are lowered, and the milk bottles properly placed in the openings in the top of the box, will embrace the mouths of the bottles to protect them from foreign matter. The angularly extending inner end of the arm 18 is then engaged with the detent, whereby the bottles are held against vertical movement. Thus the bottles cannot be removed from the box, when the arm is down and the caps embrace the bottle mouths.

To release the bottles, it is only necessary to press the fingerpiece of the detent to disengage it from the arm 18, when the weight thereof will rock all of the arms and raise the caps from the bottles.

When the milkman places the bottles in the rack he simply pulls down on the caps until they are engaged on the bottle months, when the arm 18 will automatically engage with the detent to lock the bottles in the box.

The distance between the bottom of the box and the caps, when said caps are in their lowered position, is equal to the height of a quart bottle, and when it is desired to place a smaller or pint bottle in the box as shown at 26, a support 27 is placed through the dethe bottle so that its mouth is in the same horizontal plane as that of the larger bottles. The lower portion of the bottle is, however, below the top of the box so that it cannot be removed.

What is claimed is:

A milk bottle holder comprising box having bottle receiving openings in its top wall, a back member to which the box is secured and having openings therein above the box, brackets mounted on the back member adjacent the said openings, a member including a plurality of connected arms each pivotally connected to a bracket, extending through one of the last-named openings, and arranged to move in unison, one 01" the arms having an extension curved upwardly and formed with a transverse terminal head,

caps carried by the outer ends of the said for embracing engagement with the mouths of a plurality of milk bottles placed in the said box, said terminal head having a weight to normally tilt the arms and caps out of engagement with the bottles, and a pivoted detent mounted for engagement with the head of the extension to hold the caps in engagement with the bottles at times.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT V. TOWNSEND.

Witnesses WILLIAM AnRAMs, RAYMOND E. ADAMS. 

